title: Towards a public health curriculum in undergraduate medicine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The need to adequately train medical professionals in public health has been recognised internationally. Despite this, public health curricula, particularly in undergraduate medicine, are poorly defined. This study explored the public health disciplines that newly qualified doctors in the United Kingdom (UK) should know.
  
  
  METHODS
  We developed a 31-item questionnaire covering public health subject areas and expected competencies that medical graduates should know. The questionnaire was then administered to a stratified sample of medically trained individuals across a number of postgraduate schools of public health in the UK. Following administration, a ranking list was developed by subject area and by competency.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was an 85% response rate (69/81). Subject areas ranked highest included epidemiology, health promotion and health protection. Sociology and the history of public health ranked lowest. Competencies perceived as important by the respondents included understanding health inequalities, empowering people about health issues and assessing the effectiveness of healthcare programmes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study identifies the expected public health subject areas and competencies that newly graduating medical students should know. They provide a context through which to begin addressing concerns over the disparity between these expectations and what is actually taught in medical school, highlighting the continuing need to reframe undergraduate public health education in the UK.
authors.affiliation: Academic Unit of Medical Education, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom. Subhashis.Basu@sth.nhs.uk
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Basu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Roberts
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D003479:Curriculum / Q000592:standards*; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004813:Epidemiology / Q000193:education; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D010820:Physicians / Q000592:standards; D011634:Public Health / Q000193:education*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom